Caveat: Move to Netherlands

We were having a
speaking class in my E1-1 cohort (6th graders). These aren't the brightest bulbs, but they're fun kids. I had elicited and
finally gotten, after much trial and tribulation, a list on the board of
various social issues: e.g. the environment, crime, homeless people,
"crazy" people (mentally disabled), Dokdo (Korea's revanchist
territorial dispute with Japan), drugs, etc.

Then we went down
the list, and I was trying to get them to describe possible actions
they, as individuals, could do with respect to these issues. Most of
them were very appropriate for their age and ability level: "don't
litter" for environment problems, "take them to hospital" for crazy
people.

But then a student utterly shocked me.

"What about for the
problem of drugs?" I asked. I know the kids get some level of
drug-awareness education in their public schools, perhaps somewhat
similar to the infamous DARE in the US. "What can we do?"

Harry raised his hand.

"What?" I asked.

"Move
to Netherlands," was his immediate and unironic suggestion.

I'm afraid I started laughing. I
never would have expected a Korean 6th grader to come up with such a
response. I would not have expected it even from an American kid – though US kids tend to be more "worldly" than Koreans at that age.

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